Thomas Aquinas Commentary Lamentations 1:10

"The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: For she hath seen that the nations are entered into her sanctuary, Concerning whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thine assembly." — Lamentations 1:10 (ASV)

Here, the prophet weeps over their bondage concerning the looting of their possessions, which they endured from their victorious enemies.

He presents this looting in two parts. First, he discusses the goods their enemies carried away. Second, he addresses the things they themselves destroyed, as it says, all her people sigh (Lamentations 1:11).

Concerning the first point, he does two things:

1. He describes the plunder of goods: the enemy has stretched out his hand over all her desirable things. This refers to the Chaldean conqueror taking the treasures of the house of God, the king’s house, and all the others. As Isaiah says, All our lovely things are turned into ruins (Isaiah 64:11).
2. He presents the desecration of these things: for she has seen the gentiles enter her sanctuary. Here, “she” refers to the people of Judah. It is as if to say, “In this way, it was possible for everything to be carried away, even what was in the temple.” As it is written, The holy places have come into the hands of strangers .

Alternatively, the verse could mean that he—that is, the Lord—has seen the gentiles. This refers to priests who were priests in name only but lived like gentiles when they set up an idol in the temple. These were the ones of whom you commanded that they should not enter into your church. According to the law, no one from the offspring of Aaron who has a blemish may eat what has been consecrated to the Lord (Leviticus 22:4). Therefore, because they acted against this law, they were taken captive, since sin is the cause of punishment.